Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Adopted December 1998

Mineral Exploration

Main Contents Page	Alternative Aggregates	Secondary Aggregates
5. Meeting the Need for Minerals	Marine-Dredged Sand And Gravel	Chalk
Geology	Crushed Rock	Clay
Sand And Gravel	Secondary Or Substitute Aggregate Materials	Borrow Pits
Chalk	Aggregates Supply	Oil And Gas
Clay	Preferred Areas For Sand And Gravel Extraction	Minerals Processing And Manufacturing Plant
Borrow Pits	Alternative Aggregates	Mineral Exploration
Oil And Gas	Aggregates Wharves And Depots

Policy 36: Mineral exploration operations (other than for oil and gas) which require planning approval will be permitted provided the Mineral Planning Authority is satisfied that:

(i) the operations would not be likely to cause unacceptable environmental, traffic or other impact; and

(ii) the proposals provide for the satisfactory restoration and aftercare of any land disturbed.

Any permission granted for mineral exploration will be without prejudice to the consideration by the Mineral Planning Authority of any further proposals for mineral working that may be submitted.

5.72 There is a long-established national objective of increasing knowledge and understanding of indigenous mineral resources through exploration. The Mineral Planning Authorities support this objective by generally encouraging mineral exploration, subject to environmental safeguards. Most mineral exploration operations are permitted under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. Although mineral exploration is a temporary activity which usually has little environmental impact, the Mineral Planning Authorities consider that there are certain special areas which are of such nature conservation, landscape or historical importance - including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Nature Reserves, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation and sites on the National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and the County Register of Historic Parks and Gardens - that mineral exploration should not take place within them.